Politics, Humor, Music and just the plain simple pleasure of being an annoying sonofabitch.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

The Authoritarian Delusions of American Conservatives --- When Will People Acknowledge It?...

Well -- looks like ol' Vlad The Impaler has taken care of political business in Russia:

MOSCOW (AP) — Carrying flowers, portraits and signs that said "I am not afraid," tens of thousands of people somberly marched Sunday in Moscow to mourn opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, whose slaying on the streets of the capital has shaken Russia's beleaguered opposition.

The mourners marched to the bridge near the Kremlin where Nemtsov was gunned down shortly before midnight Friday. Chanting "we'll not forget, we'll not forgive" and waving Russian flags, the crowd filled the road along the Moscow River embankment. Many tied black ribbons to railings along the way.

No one has been arrested in Nemtsov's killing, and Russia's federal investigative agency said it was looking into several possible motives.

Ilya Yashin, a friend and fellow opposition leader, said he hoped the killing would not frighten people.

"Essentially it is an act of terror. It is a political murder aimed at frightening the population, or the part of the population that supported Nemtsov and did not agree with the government," Yashin told The Associated Press. "I hope we won't get scared, that we will continue what Boris was doing."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has marginalized and intimidated his political opponents, jailing some and driving others into exile, since mass anti-Putin protests swept Moscow in 2011 and 2012. Nemtsov, 55, was among the few prominent opposition figures who had refused to be cowed.